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ADMISSION POLICY OF
BALLINTEER COMMUNITY SCHOOL
1 OBJECTIVES
1.1 Ballinteer Community School is established with the object of providing a comprehensive system of post primary education open to all the children of the community, combining instruction in academic and practical subjects and ongoing education for persons living at or near Ballinteer in the County of Dublin and generally for the purpose of contributing towards the spiritual, moral, mental and physical well-being and development of the said Community. (Deed of Trust: Second schedule 2, Articles of Management).
2 PROGRAMMES
2.1 As the object of the school is to provide a comprehensive system of post primary education, the school is open to all prospective students in the area of Ballinteer who have completed a recognised primary programme and who intend and are capable of pursuing a recognised nationally validated post primary programme leading to Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate including Leaving Certificate Applied. The post primary programme does not include apprentice or vocational type courses. The range of subjects and courses will depend on resources made available by the Department of Education & Science.
3. PRIMARY SCHOOLS
3.1 Feeder primary schools in the hinterland of the Community School include St. Attracta's Senior School, Our Lady's Boys' and Girls' Schools, Good Shepherd School, Scoil Mhuire and Our Lady's, St. Columbanus Road.
4 ENROLMENT
4.1 First Year enrolment at Ballinteer Community School takes place at the beginning of each year. The Enrolment Officer will have contacted local schools, issued enrolment forms to prospective students and will have conferred with sixth class teachers.
4.2 Students not attending local schools may obtain enrolment forms by application from the General Office. Enrolment into First Year will be processed, generally, through their primary schools.
Students From Abroad
4.3 Students intending on enrolling from abroad must supply all the relevant reports including references from primary and other school teachers.
Late Enrolment
4.4 Any student intending on enrolling into First Year after the general February assessment may enrol
Ø if the school can provide an education appropriate to his/her ability and needs
Ø if there is a class vacancy
Ø if subjects required are available
Ø if all relevant documentation is supplied
Ø if the normal commitments are given on acceptance of the Code of Behaviour and school ethos
4.5 The Enrolment Officer will have been appraised of any specific learning, emotional and disciplinary problems of any applicant and may have, if deemed necessary, requested further information including educational, psychological and medical reports. The Enrolment Officer will have established the status of Irish Exemptions in accordance with CL M 10/94.
(Note: all such exemptions must be processed by the primary school authorities prior to enrolment).
4.6 Prospective students will be informed in writing of the date of Enrolment Assessment.
4.7 Class placement will be based on the results of the Enrolment Assessments following consultation with primary teachers.
5 ENROLMENT POST FIRST YEAR
5.1 If the foregoing criteria are observed students may be enrolled into other years following interview by the Principal or Deputy Principal in consultation with the Enrolment Officer and relevant Dean. As such students will have attended other post primary institutions, these institutions will have prior responsibility for their post primary education. Admission will strictly depend on option availability, class vacancy and commitment to school discipline and ethos.
5.2 Before admission of a student registered in another recognised secondary school, the principal of that school will be informed in writing of the requested enrolment and details will be requested relating to the student's attendance and such other matters relating to the child's educational progress as the Principal considers appropriate. Before any offer of enrolment is made all relevant reports together with any vital or important information relating to the students' academic history, health, behaviour and any other matter will have been submitted to the school authorities for consideration.
6 PRIORITY PLACEMENT (Excluding students enrolling in either of the Special Needs Units)
6.1 Places will be allocated through the enrolment process on a first come first served basis with priority being given to
Ø students living locally and attending local schools
Ø siblings of students already in attendance at Ballinteer Community School
Ø students from outside the hinterland and attending local schools.
Ø students from outside the hinterland and attending other schools.
7 CODE OF BEHAVIOUR
7.1 In accordance with the Education (Welfare) Act, Section 20, before registering a child as a student at the school, the parents/guardians of the child will be provided with a copy of the Code of Behaviour and may if requested, as a condition of so registering such child, confirm in writing that the Code of Behaviour so provided is acceptable to them and that they shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure compliance with such Code by the child.
7.2 Parents/guardians will endeavour to ensure that the ethos, aims and objectives of the school will be promoted and upheld.
8 GENERAL PROVISIONS
8.1 Neither the issue of the application form nor its completion guarantees an applicant a place in this school.
8.2 In certain circumstances the school may refuse admission if it cannot provide an appropriate education or if the student's behaviour may constitute a threat to the Health, Safety or Education of other students.
8.3 An offer of enrolment may be revoked if the school authorities become aware of vital or significant information relating to the applicant's academic history, health, behaviour and/or any other matter being withheld.
9 STUDENTS WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES
9.1 Ballinteer Community School caters for students with certain physical disabilities. These include Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida and progressive disabilities such as Muscular Dystrophy and Friedrich's Ataxia. A Unit for students with Physical Disabilities is established in the school for that purpose.
9.2 A prospective student with physical disabilities may be enrolled into the Physical Disabilities Unit provided that s/he
Ø can integrate with mainstream students
Ø can pursue Junior/Leaving Certificate programmes
Ø can move independently (by wheelchair or otherwise)
Ø can perform toilet functions independently
Ø can participate quietly in classwork
Ø has the stamina to survive class periods
Ø can provide the school with all relevant and required documentation and reports
and provided that the school can recruit appropriate personnel such as a special needs assistant/nursing aides et al and that the Department of Education & Science makes adequate teaching and other resources available.
9.3 Prospective entrants may be assessed, if necessary, by an Advisory Admissions Committee.
9.4 This committee shall consist of:
Ø the resource teachers of the Unit
Ø the Principal
Ø the Deputy Principal
Ø The Department of Education & Science (NEPS) psychologist
Ø any other person(s) deemed relevant and necessary by the school authorities
9.5 The degree/severity of disability, cognitive ability, potential for integration and parent/guardian support and backup as well as availability of adequate supplementary resources and personnel will be criteria for entry. The decision of the committee shall be communicated in writing to the Board of Management. The committee may in cases of doubt, grant temporary enrolment to an applicant. In such instances the terms of temporary enrolment should be clearly stated and accepted on both sides.
9.6 The terms should include
Ø the period of time for probation
Ø the conditions being tested
Ø an agreed process for validation/verification of satisfaction of these conditions
Ø an explicit agreement to terminate enrolment in the event of these conditions not being fulfilled.
9.7 Before temporary enrolment is granted, a prior commitment for readmission must be obtained from the primary school. Parents/Guardians will have agreed with such readmission before temporary enrolment is granted.
9.8 Any decision refusing enrolment may be appealed to the Board of Management.
9.9 Before admission of such child, the parents/guardians will confirm in writing if necessary that the Code of Behaviour of the school is acceptable to them and that they shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure compliance with such code by the child.
9.10 The general provisions outlined in Section 8 shall apply.
10 SSLD
10.1 Ballinteer Community School has a special teaching unit for students with Specific Speech and Language Disorder. This disability is comparatively rare (about 0.2% of the population, according to the SERC report) and is distinct from other forms of aphasia and speech dysfunction.
10.2 The Department of Education & Science has made provision for the establishment of a special class catering for up to six students with the syndrome. Students in the Unit identified with SSLD as the dominant syndrome will be referred for speech therapy which will be provided, subject to the availability of a speech therapist, by the East Coast Area Health Board.
10.3 Enrolments to the Unit will follow applications to the Advisory Admissions Committee established by the Board of Management. This committee consists of the:
Ø The Principal or his nominee
Ø The teacher with special responsibility for pupils with SSLD
Ø The Speech Therapist with responsibility for pupils with SSLD
Ø The Psychologist and Inspector of Guidance Services of the Department
Ø The Speech Therapist nominated by the Eastern Health Board
Ø Psychologist nominated by the Eastern Health Board
10.4 Criteria for enrolment into the Unit include:
Ø Confirmation of SSLD as the dominant syndrome
Ø Recommendation from a designated Unit in a primary school
Ø Provision of all relevant reports, medical, psychological and educational
Ø Parental co-operation with the aims of educational objectives of the Unit
Ø Ability of the student to participate meaningfully in a second level institution and to integrate with his/her peers
Ø The provision and availability of adequate resources from the Department of Education & Science
Ø Student compliance with the Code of Behaviour.
10.5 The general provisions outlined in Section 8 shall apply.
11 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES OR WITH OTHER SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
11.1 Ballinteer Community School will consider applications on behalf of students attending local schools or residing in the catchment area of the school who have disabilities or special educational needs other than those that can be catered for by the Physically Disabled and SSLD Units.
11.2 Applications for enrolment will be made in the normal way. Parents/guardians will make all relevant reports and documentation available to the school on application. The Enrolment Officer will consult with the principal and/or teacher of the relevant primary school and may seek consultation with other professionals as deemed appropriate.
11.3 The school will use its available resources to identify and provide for the special educational needs of such students so that they can benefit from an education that is appropriate to their abilities and needs.
11.4 The Board will make application where necessary to the Department of Education & Science and any council or agency with statutory responsibilities for students with educational needs for additional and specific support so that appropriate education can be provided.
11.5 Before making an offer of enrolment the Board through the Principal, Enrolment Officer or other designated person will fully inform the parents/guardians of the range and limitations of the educational provision available.
11.6 The general provisions outlined in Section 8 shall apply.
12 EXTRAORDINARY REQUIREMENTS
12.1 If the provision of an appropriate education to any such child requires the establishment of new administrative or teaching structures or the reorganisation of the delivery of the educational services, the Principal will so inform the Board.
12.2 The Board will consider whether, in the overall interests of the school and including the viability of the units already established, such structures should be established.
12.3 The Board will communicate its decision in writing to the parents/guardians of the child in question. If a decision is taken to establish new structures for the educational needs of a particular child, the Principal will, in consultation with teachers make an audit of resource requirements for the Board. The Educational Welfare Officer, Special Education Section of the Department of Education & Science, the relevant Department of Education & Science local inspectors, any statutory agency with responsibility for students with special educational needs and parents/guardians will be involved in the consultation process. The Board will decide on the availability of these resource requirements as a condition of enrolment.
12.4 If a decision is negative, the Special Education Section of the Department of Education & Science, the Department of Education & Science, local inspectors and the Educational Welfare Officer and any relevant statutory agency will be accordingly advised. The parents will be informed in writing of the reasons for the Board's decision in accordance with the Education (Welfare) Act and the Education Act and of the provisions to appeal available to them.
13 GENERAL
13.1 In exceptional cases the Board of Management reserves the right to refuse to enrol a student where that student has special needs which this school cannot meet or where s/he poses an unacceptable risk to her/himself or other students and/or staff.
13.2 Any refusal to enrol may be appealed to the Board of Management of the school. Appeals should be addressed to the Secretary to the Board.
13.3 The Board of Management shall make every effort to comply with legislative requirements in its admission processes so that it can ensure that each student admitted can avail of an education appropriate to his/her needs and abilities.
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